Sellers Have Extra Responsibilities With Post-Flood Vacation Homes
Posted on: 14 December 2016
A real estate agent needs a little help from a homeowner. When a property owner keeps interiors and exteriors clean, the real estate agent is in a better position when showing the home. This is true of vacation homes as well as primary residences. The drawback with certain vacation homes is many may be close to the ocean and suffer flooding when big storms hit. Floods bring with them mold and damage. Prospective buyers will not want to deal with these problems once they purchase the home, so vacation home sellers have to take on a few responsibilities to fix up a home after flooding.
Hire a Flood Restoration Service
Do not rely on the interior being air dried. Mold spores may be lying in wait, ready to grow. Mold is going to grow by affixing to the walls, floors, and ceilings and expand, thanks to the presence of moisture. A professional flood restoration team needs to test, spray, and dehumidify the interior to make the home very inhospitable to mold. Also, damaged rugs and furniture do have to be removed. Otherwise, they are only going to contribute to bad impressions. It would be better to have a sparse interior than one filled with wrecked furniture.
Hire Someone to Spot Check
Leaving a vacation home vacant during the off season may be unavoidable. Traveling long distances to check on the property in, say, the dead of winter may be impossible. Hiring someone in the local region to check up on the property is advised. This way, any new or missed problems can be detected and corrected right away. Then, once the off season ends and potential buyers return, the property will be in the proper shape.
Let the Real Estate Agent Comment
If major work had to be done to clean out the interior, ask the real estate agent to make a special visit to the property and perform an unofficial inspection. A real estate agent, unlike the homeowner, sees the interior from the perspective of the buyer. Understanding this perspective is critical to being able to sell a home. When a real estate agent suggests something "minor" really is a major sore spot, get it fixed ASAP. A "little" warped and broken drywall in the corner of a room might not seem like much and, maybe, it really isn't indicative or bigger problems. A prospective visitor could think the minor drywall damage is just one visible problem and scores of hidden problems are just out of sight.
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